Before You Buy New, See What Already Exists
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.
Before we buy something new, what if we stopped for a second and asked:
Does this already exist?
Not somewhere across the country in a warehouse. Not something that still needs to be manufactured, boxed up and shipped.
I mean, does it already exist right here in St. Louis?
A mirror. A leather bag. A coat. A piece of jewelry. A lamp. Glassware. Artwork. A serving tray. A chair.
The answer is usually yes.
And a lot of the time, the older piece is more interesting than the new one anyway.
Secondhand Doesn’t Mean Second Best
Somewhere along the way, buying new became the automatic choice.
Need a lamp? Go buy a new one.
Want a handbag? Order one online.
Need something for an empty wall? Head to a big-box store.
There is nothing wrong with buying new, but new is not always better.
When you shop estate, vintage or secondhand, you get the chance to find things that are different. Sometimes they are better made. Sometimes they have more character. Sometimes they are simply more interesting than what is being mass-produced right now.
And sometimes you find something you never would have thought to look for.
That is part of the fun.
Your House Doesn’t Have to Look Like Everyone Else’s
Walk through enough home stores and you start to notice the same look over and over again.
The same colors.
The same finishes.
The same wall art.
The same lamps.
The same decorative pieces.
There is nothing wrong with any of it, but I personally love a home that looks collected over time.
Maybe it is an old painting you found for $30.
Maybe it is a lamp with a little more personality.
Maybe it is a chair that has been around for 60 years and still looks great.
Those are the pieces people notice.
They are also the pieces that make a home feel like yours.
The Same Thing Goes for Clothing and Jewelry
This idea is not just about furniture and decor.
One of the best things about shopping secondhand is finding clothing, handbags and jewelry that you are not going to see everywhere else.
A vintage leather bag.
A great coat.
An unusual brooch.
A necklace that just feels different.
Instead of asking, “What is everyone wearing right now?” you can just ask:
Do I like this?
I think that makes shopping a lot more fun.
A Lot of Good Things Were Made a Long Time Ago
One thing you notice when you work around estate items every day is how many older things were simply made well.
Solid wood furniture.
Heavy glassware.
Jewelry with tiny details you do not always see anymore.
Serving pieces people actually used for decades.
Clothing and accessories that have already lasted 30, 40 or 50 years.
If something has already been around that long and is still in good shape, that tells you something.
It was probably made to last.
Reuse Doesn’t Have to Feel Like a Sacrifice
I think sometimes people hear words like “reuse” or “sustainable shopping” and picture giving something up.
That is not really how I see it.
You are not settling.
You are just looking at what already exists before buying something newly manufactured.
That is a pretty simple idea.
Before you order a new lamp, see if there is one locally that you like better.
Before you buy another mass-produced wall print, look at the art that is already out there.
Before you buy a brand-new handbag, see if there is a vintage one with more personality.
Sometimes there is.
And sometimes it is better.
The Best Finds Are Usually the Ones You Weren’t Looking For
This is probably my favorite part of estate and vintage shopping.
You can walk in looking for one thing and leave excited about something completely different.
You came in for a lamp.
Then you spotted a piece of artwork.
Or a handbag.
Or a beautiful serving tray.
Or a strange little decorative piece that somehow just works.
That is hard to recreate online.
There is something about walking through a store and finding something you did not even know you wanted until you saw it.
Before You Buy New, Look Around
I am definitely not saying nobody should ever buy anything new.
I am saying maybe new should not always be the first place we look.
The next time you need something for your home, your wardrobe or just everyday life, ask yourself:
Does this already exist?
There is a good chance it does.
And it might be better made, more interesting and have a lot more personality than the brand-new version.
At St. Louis Estate Buyers, our stores are constantly changing. One week it may be jewelry and handbags. The next, artwork, furniture, glassware, lamps and things we never could have predicted would come through the door.
That is what makes it interesting.
Come walk through, look around and see what is already here.
Useful. Beautiful. Already here.